Have you received a card or note that has been handwritten? If so, I hope you felt the love that went into it. Every year since we have been married my hubby gets a birthday card with a handwritten message in it from his grandmother. They almost all start the same way: “I remember the night you were born …” These cards have been a treasure for my hubby and for me also. Through the years I learned family tales and stories and traditions were passed on.

A few years ago I did what almost every one I know does on a daily basis. I walked out to my mailbox and picked up the mail. Every day I would get excited anticipating something addressed to me. Maybe I would get an announcement from my favorite nail salon, or a great coupon for a local restaurant, or a postcard from a family member, or a “Thinking of You” card from a friend or maybe … just maybe …a hand-written multi-page letter from a friend!!!

What I found was the same old thing.There was a couple of free magazines, a few odd advertisements addressed to “Postal Customer”, and bills! The only thing that even remotely looked like a personal letter was …

(To read the rest of this entry and enter to win 1 of 2 prize packages, go to the new website at this link address: http://barefootpreachr.org/)

“One day, a student of Socrates asked his venerable teacher how to become wise. Socrates led the student to a nearby lake and the two entered the water. Then, he held the student’s head under the surface as the frantic young man fought wildly. Finally, Socrates freed him. The young man gasped and gulped. Socrates watched calmly and said, “When you desire wisdom with the same intensity that you desire to breathe, then nothing will stop you from getting it.”

Socrates is right, the motivation to succeed comes from within us.

Dear Reader: You may have noticed an email asking you to confirm that you want to continue to follow my blog. I’ve upgraded the blog and continue to work on the site (lots more to do, feel free to share your thoughts on how to make it better!) (Read more here)

Like this:

Dear Reader: You may have noticed an email asking you to confirm that you want to continue to follow my blog. I’ve left wordpress.com and moved to a self-hosting site. I’ve been working on the site (lots more to do, feel free to share your thoughts on how to make it better!) One of the “bumps” I’ve encountered is transferring your contact info to my new blog host. (The frustration of technology!!!) I would like to personally invite you to join me as we continue down this road of exploration in our faith journey. Please go to: http://barefootpreachr.org/ and sign-up to receive email updates or to follow along as a wordpress fellow blogger.

I’ve chosen this story to share with you today to illustrate how I feel about your absence in my blogosphere. I pray that you are blessed, as I am by your support and comments.Blessings,
Pat

An old man living in Alaska had lost all of his friends and family, and he felt sad to think that he was left alone. He began to wonder whether he should leave and start a new life in another village. But he worried, “If I paddle away to another village and the people there see that I am alone, they may think that I’ve run away from my own village because I was accused of some disgraceful thing.” Instead, he thought that he would go off by himself into the forest.

While this man was traveling along the woods the thought occurred to him to go to the bears and let the bears kill him. The village was at the mouth of a large salmon creek, so he went over to the creek early in the morning until he found a bear trail and lay down across the end of it. He thought that when the bears came out along this trail they would find and kill him.

By and by, as he lay there, he heard the bushes breaking and saw a large number of grizzly bears coming along. The largest bear led the rest, and the tips of his hairs were white. Then the old man became frightened. He suddenly realized he did not want to die a hard death and imagined himself being torn to pieces among the bears. So when the leading bear came up to him, he stood up and announced: “I have come to invite you to a feast.”

At that the bear’s fur stood straight up, and the old man thought that he was done for, but he spoke again Continue reading →

It seems appropriate on the last day of 2011 to share some of the lessons I’ve learned, and maybe even why they matter. I hope there are a few in here that will bless you during this next year. And I hope you will so kind as to share a few of the lessons you have learned this year with me and the rest of the bloggy readers here!

I won’t list these in any particular order. Mainly because they were (are?) equally important under the appropriate circumstances. So, here we go:

Don’t start too many projects without finishing something you have already started. I know for many folks this is a “duh” kind of thought, but for so many of us we get caught up in doing good things – for our family, friends, the church, ourselves, the poor children in ______ (fill in the blank) – and the list goes on. Personally, when I realized I had so many projects going on that my supplies were multiplying before they could be put to use, I knew it was time to let go of a few things. That brings me to …

When beginning to clean, start with the top of the pile. Starting at the bottom creates a bigger mess. (Trust me on this one!) This lesson also applies to daily life situations. Think about it.

Spend the extra money on better quality toilet tissue. 🙂

Enjoy the occasional nap, but don’t make it a habit. If it becomes a habit, much like everything else, you begin to take it for granted and you lose the appreciation for it.

Spend time with friends and the people who matter in your life and tell them they matter to you. In the past month alone I’ve said good-bye to four people who mattered much to me. I don’t know if they ever knew how much they meant to me.

Be prepared to do things spontaneously! 😀

Stay up those extra few minutes before going to bed so you can load the dishwasher. There is something pretty nice to walking into the kitchen and seeing a clean sink. I find this helpful to Continue reading →

THE MEANING OF LIFE

Who are YOU reflecting?

A story is told by Robert Fulghum, a Unitarian minister, about a seminar he once attended in Greece. On the last day of the conference, the discussion leader walked over to the bright light of an open window and looked out. Then he asked if there were any questions. Fulghum laughingly asked him what was the meaning of life. Everyone in attendance laughed and stirred to leave. However, the leader held up his hand to ask for silence and then responded “I will answer your question.” He took his wallet out of his pocket and removed a small round mirror about the size of a quarter. Then he explained “When I was a small child during World War II, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun could never shine. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places that I could find. I kept the little mirror, and as I grew up, I would take it out at idle moments and continue Continue reading →

Do you remember Christmas without snow? I do! (and I lived next door to Santa Claus ~ more on this later…) How about a palm tree as your Christmas tree? Santa coming to your house in a convertible?

All I want for Christmasis my two front teeth,my two front teeth,see my two front teeth.

Gee, if I could onlyhave my two front teeth,then I could wish you“Merry Christmas!”

I grew up in Ft. Myers, FL (went to high school at Cypress Lake ~ if anyone knows of it!!!) and I have some fond memories of that time. So, starting tomorrow, tune in here, check out those stories of teenage angst and the gifts that were ‘oh so important’ to a teen girls heart. ❤

In the meantime, be thinking about your favorite Christmas gift you received as a teenager (or the one you are still waiting to have Santa bring to you!) and let’s share our stories this holiday season. 😀

I love this idea! And I know what I will be adding next. What do you think? Do you do ink?

Now I have to admit I don’t think anyone should go out and get a tattoo because they like looking at someone else’s, or because they are in love with a person, or even because it’s an accepted form of expressing yourself. Yet I do think that if you have really thought about having something permanently placed on your body AND you have the full & complete support of your parents, friends, community members, and children (yes, children!) ~ then do it. Do it in a way that glorifies God. Make a statement of your faith, belief and hope. And realize that you will be criticized by some, age will catch up to you one day, and gravity will take its toll. But I am STILL going to get that next one … 🙂

Tenn. studio offer tats for toys donated for kids

In memory of Matthew and to the Glory of God

A Memphis tattoo artist is offering body art in exchange for donated toys for children in need.

Toys for Tattoos has become an annual event at Jay Guzman’s House of Ink. Guzman says it’s so busy that he doesn’t even count the number of people coming into his shop.

In exchange for a new toy worth at least $25, the donor gets a tattoo or a piercing of equal value, according to The Commercial Appeal.

The toys go to Agape (ah-GAH’-pey) Child and Family Services, a nonprofit that provides homeless services, Continue reading →

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Original material is Copyrighted (2009) by BarefootPreachr - all rights reserved. This material may be freely copied and distributed for not-for-profit purposes and subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and our World Wide Web URL http://www.barefootpreachr.org